Some more Lost Season/Fast Forward info

[Chris]

Here some replies to questions I got off Dan! He's a great guy putting up with all the questions that must have been sent in to him recently!

> Are the TMNT in the future at the start of Fast
> Forward or do they start in present day and get sent to the future
> in episode 1?

They start in present day and are teleported to the future by Cody
Jones (Casey and April's grandson, who summons the TMNT for help).

> If they’re already there does the Lost Season lead to this or not?

As far as I know, the two are entirely unrelated.

> How many episodes is “The Lost Season”?

Right now it's undecided, but it should be between 10-13 episodes.

> Was the original season 5 always 13 episodes, or was it condensed
> to that when the decision was made to make Fast Forward
> season 5 and the Tribunal story DVD only?

I'm afraid that I don't know, I haven't seen any scripts or synopses
for what was originally intended to be season 5.

> I know Fast Forward is a stand alone story arc, but in terms of
> characters is “The Lost Season” in continuity?

I would assume so, but I can't say for certain.

> Will the TMNT as characters have been through the events of “The
> Lost Season” before Fast Forward opens?

Probably, unless the scripts for FF have been doctored since it was
moved up.

> More importantly, will “The Lost Season” have affected the status
> quo when/if the TMNT return home after Fast Forward?

I'm afraid that I can't say with any authority since I haven't seen
the scripts or synopses for either season. As you may have surmised
by now, the writers are very secretive about their plans because they
do not like spoilers being released.

> With Fast Forward being 26 stand alone episodes does that mean that
> they return to the present for season 6? Or if it’s popular could
> Fast Forward be extended to cover 2 seasons?

Only time will tell.

> With Fast Forward being a new look and new direction for the show
> is there any chance you could do previews on the website like you
> did before the new show launched?

I'll be posting some style guide images from FF once I get the
scanning project done - probably in 3-4 weeks. That's all I have to
post at this time.

Thanks for writing!

Cheers!
Dan Berger


Have to say I'm glad that Fast Forward starts in the present. It makes what will already be a confusing premiere episode a little less confusing. And more importantly it allows The Lost Season a proper finale that can wrap up all the loose ends without having to worry about setting up the next season.

Really hope they do 13 episodes, they've got a lot to cover in those episodes!

Sounds like the scripts probably haven't been altered (so no more 4Kids interfering). So official continuity is Seasons 1-4, The Lost Season, Fast Forward.

Looking forward to seeing that style guide in a few weeks, should give us something to talk about!

[Raph's Girl]

Originally Posted by Chris

I'll be posting some style guide images from FF once I get the scanning project done - probably in 3-4 weeks.

SW33T!! That means in a couple weeks we'll see images of what the characters look like in animation!!

[Toonami Tom]

Thanks for the info. I hope the turtles return to their time line after Fast Forward, I won't be suprised if they don't though. Grrr.....

[TheShowstoppa]

I figured they would start out in 2006. (Which I take to be their present time.) There are just too many things pointing to FF ending as a stand alone season. They can't just let the continuity slip past like that, so they definately have to keep seasons 1 - 4 in there (Casey and April meeting, etc.). However, they cannot make any crude comments about The Lost Season this next season unless they fully intend on pissing a lot of us off. It would be like one HUGE spoiler if they talked about it...

And on that note... I begin again to wait

[tOkKa]

-->> ..well whatever.. i wanna give Kudos to Chris and R.Girl .. for havin' the grapes to clear alot of this up. This lost season crap has had me so confused all month (and scince the begining of the year..) and i wasn't even sure what to post on Mikey's.. you guys rock !! Thanks for asking the tough questions.. this past week.. all this is making alot more sence than it did. Thanks guys.. serious..

[Drtooth]

I am still bloody confused over the entire thing. More so than ever, in fact. Fast Forward doesn't really thrill me. I've enjoyed most of the twists and turns in this new series, and the ones I didn't like, I shrugged off, since they were pretty decent. But the turtles in the future seems a bit... off to me.

[J Legault]

Sounds, I'm still looking forward to seeing this Fast Forward and lost season.

All sounds good to me. Can't wait to see what Cody Jones is like.

[Raph's Girl]

Originally Posted by Drtooth

But the turtles in the future seems a bit... off to me.

Original Series:
The turtles go forward (via a time travel train thing) 50 years in the future along with the Easter Bunny (seriously), meet future April and see their future selves (who are all wrinkly but considered to be great heroes).

2 humans from 15 years in the future (they're like 5 in present time) take the turtles to the future because it was believed they had died (when really uh they had been taken to the future...a bleak dark future where Drex ruled supreme). These humans would show up again to save the turtles (by bringing their past selves from like 3 years ago to save their future selves from mutating).

Archie series:
The Future turtles were quite prominent...especially near the end of the series. These turtles were from 100 years in the future. Future Don and Future Raph took the turtles of the past (and Splinter) to the future so they could save future Leo and future Mike (Future Splinter had died years earlier) from Shredder, a cyborg cat, and a mutant shark. They would appear later on in their own 4-5 part saga called the Cyber Samurai Saga. Raphael was happily married at this point to Ninjara's (his past selve's GF) granddaughter.

Current Series:
Same As It Never Was! Hellooo!

So as you can see the turtles going to the future is nothing new.

[AquaParade]

A lot of people are saying that the Lost Season has a chance to push to a little more mature side, since it doesnt need to air on 4kids...Anyone think this will happen? Maybe someone could ask in their next letter I would hope things would be this way, but I dont see too much of a drastic change coming.

[iris]

Doubful that they'd have a very different rating than the rest of the dvd series, but possible. Who knows if they've even thought of such a thing?

[Chris]

I'm hoping that's the case.

I personally think it may be part of the reason The Lost Season is going to DVD rather than TV. I think that TLS continued the trend of the series getting darker and more mature as it progressed. FF was to be a return to a slightly more light hearted and laid back TMNT. 4Kids looked at both and, already nervous about the dark nature of the series (like not reairing Same as it Never Was and not showing Insane in the Membrane) decided that TLS was maybe a bit too dark whilst FF was both lighter and easier to sell to kids and better to get merchandise from (a double win for 4Kids).

We know that some alterations must be getting made to TLS;

A playmates press release from around the end of Season 3 said 117 episodes were complete or in production (4x26 + 13 TLS). This was before FF so the TLS was at least 13 episodes, maybe more. Now it's going to be 10-13 (hopefully that latter).

It's reasonable to assume that when TLS was Season 5 and FF was Season 6, the TMNT would probably have jumped to the future in a season finale cliffhanger. Now the TMNT will start FF in the present day and jump to the future in the season premiere.

Based on this they're doing almost all TLS episodes new for DVD (and could easily make alterations to completed episodes, but I don't think any were actually fully animated before the plug was pulled). Therefore they know they don't have to worry about TV censors whilst working on these episodes. Does that mean we're gonna get really extreme not for TV TMNT? Nearly certainly not. But it does mean they can do episodes to the level of Same as it Never Was and Tale of Yoshi without having to worry about censorship or network approval.

Hopefully it also means we're in for a decent finale. This could be the last time we get TMNT in the present day (hopefully not, but it could be). Therefore they have to resolve everything;

Most importantly the Ninja Tribunal and the Great Evil (Real Shredder?)

Karai and the Foot (probably will be involved with the Tribunal story)

Bishop and Baxter (after getting decieved by the Mystics could become linked in with Tribunal arc as well, maybe even work with Karai for revenge)

Hun and the Purple Dragons (missed Dragons Rising so not sure where they're at)

Heck I'd love to see April and Casey engaged. It would link nicely into their great grandkid taking the TMNT to the future and it would leave the possibility for them to be married with Shadow if/when the TMNT return.

[TerranigmaFreak]

and not showing Insane in the Membrane

Dan Burger confirmed that Insane in The Membrane was not removed due to it being too dark. The too dark crap is nothing but a rumor. It's probably no more dark than the current show.

[Chris]

"I don't know what's up with Episode 97 - "Insane In The Membrane". I e-mailed 4Kids about its fate and if it would ever be aired or released on DVD and haven't received a reply"

Sounds like Dan is as in the dark about Insane as the rest of us.

I accept that it being too dark is currently just a rumor, but it is also the most viable explanation at this time. They (4Kids) proved they don't really care about episode order this season, so there's no reason they wouldn't have aired it out of order.

With the exception of making "Tale of Yoshi" 97 rather than 99 (out of 103 aired episodes) the second half of the season (from Samurai Tourist onwards) aired in order. So there's no real reason to assume production wasn't complete in time. That only leaves the idea that it was considered too dark to air. Though how it could be stronger than Tale of Yoshi I have no idea!

Hopefully we'll get it on DVD soon enough and can judge for ourselves.

[Aztec General]

Below is a quote from "Boardman" over at superherohype. He is a confirmed production assistant on the TMNT show. Here's what he had to say about the "Lost Season":

"If there is something about that lost season that i'd like to share is that it was certainly the most intense arc the Turtles ever had, my opinion ofcourse.

Boardman"

This makes me even angrier that they are skipping over this!

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

Originally Posted by Rat King

Below is a quote from "Boardman" over at superherohype. He is a confirmed production assistant on the TMNT show. Here's what he had to say about the "Lost Season":

"If there is something about that lost season that i'd like to share is that it was certainly the most intense arc the Turtles ever had, my opinion ofcourse.

Boardman"

This makes me even angrier that they are skipping over this!

Yeah but think about it, if it's on DVD, there are less restrictions, and maybe, we can finally get some...dun dun dun...bloodshed.

[Inner City Blues]

I don't think we need blooshed, I think people call for it too much, but it really doesn't add anything to the mix. I would like to see some more serious writing if this is a DVD release.

[ZariusTwo]

Originally Posted by Inner City Blues

I don't think we need blooshed, I think people call for it too much, but it really doesn't add anything to the mix

What the hell are you talking about? Bloodshed is part of what makes the TMNT comics faithful to the concept, do you want 'em to be talking all the way through the DVD and having small playground fights with mud packs still posing for wounds?

[AquaParade]

I personally dont think there will be any bloodshed. They are still planning on a lot of parents buying this dvd for their kids. I'm not saying I'm not hoping for bloodshed though. I would really love some serious dangerous fights for the tmnt. Glad to hear about how intense the arc seems to be. Even though there might not be any blood(although possible) It still may be a little more dark and gritty. Maybe someone could ask some questions along these lines next time they send a letter

[Ecto Jedi]

Originally Posted by ZariusTwo

What the hell are you talking about? Bloodshed is part of what makes the TMNT comics faithful to the concept, do you want 'em to be talking all the way through the DVD and having small playground fights with mud packs still posing for wounds?

Hey, relax buddy -- no need to whip out the question marks.

[TheShowstoppa]

Let's see 13 - 1 hour episodes! (Laughs uncontrollably) Yeah... that would be rich.

I love hearing things like that. It makes me want to strangle the execs of Playmates and 4Kids more than I already do. Ah well...

I would like there to be MORE extensive plot, and they're starting to make it where Leo hardly uses his katanas anymore. Let's see him use them. People are for and against the bloodshed. If it's there, I want it to be minimal. This way, it can still be the tasteful show we've been loving, but hardcore for us fans who love the comics so much.